The Tree House
by TheKamiWolf
Summary: When Finn and Jake find an old tree house in the middle of the forest, they find something - actually, someone - that would change their lives. A girl, with a troubled past and surprising title. What they don't know though, is she isn't a strictly... regular, girl of Ooo. Not at all.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Please read before I get the You-Got-This-Wrong feedback.**

**Setting: Somewhere during Finn's slight (not that major) Princess Bubblegum crush but **_**way**_** before the introducing of Flame Princess. His age is about 12/13. Okay?**

**Now that that's settled, on with the story…**

*K*

Under a thick canopy of leaves, Finn tried to keep up side by side with Jake while he bounded ahead. They're both yelling like maniacs, and birds scatter in various directions in their wake.

"Hey Jake, where're we going?" Finn shouted over the crunch of feet on leaves and the squawks of traumatized crows.

"I don't know, dude! I'm just _borrrreeeddd!_" Jake yelled back, picking up speed just slightly.

"Well, could you at least," Finn panted, "slow down?"

"C'mon, don't be a wimp! We might find something really cool if we go on far enough!" The dog replied.

They did find something really cool that day. Something so cool, it would change everything.

*K*

"Whoa, look at that!" Jake said as he abruptly stopped in his tracks. Finn stopped as well, panting heavily while following Jake's gaze.

In the middle of the forest, and old, deserted, beat-up tree house stood. By the looks of it, it had only one room, no windows, and was unpainted. The tree it was built on was a simple oak tree, nothing special, with wood boards nailed into the trunk for a ladder. It wasn't cool and decked-out like the Tree Fort, but just… there. It also seemed as if by dragging your hand over it, you'd get _covered_ in splinters. But, Finn had to admit, it was kind of cool to discover.

"Huh. Want to go check it out?" He asked Jake, smiling slightly.

"Duh!" Jake replied.

Finn scampered up the makeshift ladder while Jake climbed in afterwards. They turned around to find…

A girl.

She had greasy, knotted gold-blond hair that hung just past her shoulders, and pale skin. The girl wore a plain, faded red t-shirt (pink now) that had obviously been washed a thousand times, and equally faded and worn jeans. She was on her knees and seemed to be leaning over something, her back to them, and had not noticed the two adventurers come in.

The tree house on the inside was even more dingy than the outside. It had a small shelf nailed to the wall, which displayed three semi-clean glass plates and two plastic cups. A bucket, filled with clear water, seemed to be some sort of sink, and it was placed in the middle of the back wall. A large crate (which the girl was leaning over) was laid out like a table, but without chairs. And lastly, in the corner, a bunch of pillows rested to form a bed.

Since the two guys had thought the place was deserted, this was a very awkward moment. Finn and Jake knew that they should do something to warn her of their presence, but since they had obviously walked into her home without permission, maybe leaving before she saw them would be a better idea.

Both thinking the same thing, they we're about to turn around when - _Crash!_

Too late.

The girl had yelped when the plate she was holding smashed into a million pieces on the floor, but she seemed to disregard the deceased cookware. Her wide eyes were fixed on the duo, at a loss for words at why they would be there.

Her bangs hung in strings around her eyes and face, and Finn could now see she wore aglet-missing, falling-apart sneakers. She was also very skinny. Overall, she looked to be about eleven or twelve.

Finn noticed that her eyes were ocean blue. So ocean blue, in fact, that he was almost afraid of them.

"Who… _Who are you?!"_ The girl shrieked.

Finn sputtered, "I-I'm Finn. And this is Jake."

"Hi." Jake interjected.

The girl stared at them for a moment, the shock wearing off and anger replacing it.

"What are you both doing here?" She said, her eyes narrowing.

"Okay, we're really sorry about this, we seriously thought this place was deserted." Finn tried to explain. Jake nodded his head.

"That doesn't really answer my question, but I'll let it slide. Where did you come from?" She questioned bluntly.

"We live in the Grasslands…" Jake stated.

"So… What's your name?" Finn asked awkwardly.

"You don't need to know that." The unnamed girl expressed.

"Well, we kind of answered your question, so… -"

"My name died when everyone who used my name died. End of story." She said, cutting Jake off.

"Oh." Finn and Jake breathed.

A new type of awkward silence fell upon the three.

"So… I hope you don't mind me asking… but what are you?" Finn inquired.

"What am I?" The blond said, her distrust melting into confusion.

"Yeah… Like… What are you?" Finn repeated.

"Um… Girl, last time I checked." She stated matter-of-factly.

"No, I mean, like, what are you? A Forest Sprite? Or some type of changeable mermaid? I haven't seen a Forest Sprite yet, but don't they have green-tinted hair? Back me up, Jake."

"Well, I'm pretty sure I saw one a long time ago... I don't think they look like her. Maybe she's changeable mermaid, but we're like miles away from any type of water source so… She's not a vampire; I don't see any bites…" Jake reasoned.

"Well, she has to be something…"

"Excuse me? I don't know about you, but seriously? That's kind of rude…" The girl huffed.

"Well, you won't tell us. I'm Jake the dog with godlike magical powers," Jake demonstrated by stretching his two front legs in various angles around the room, before they retracted to their original form. "And that's Finn, the human."

"Hm. So am I." The greasy-haired girl stated unemotionally.

"Wait… What?" Finn said, freezing.

"Human. I'm human. Seriously, who do you know isn't?" Was the girl's snarky reply.

Time seemed to stop for a few moments. Finn hadn't seen another true human since Jake's family adopted him, unless you counted Susan Strong, but he hadn't been totally sure. Was she really… Human? Was it possible?

"Wait… You're not pulling some type of joke on me before you grow wings, right?" Finn shakily asked.

"Hey, girl, don't kid about this stuff. He's sensitive about it." Jake warned.

The girl looked at the two as if they had each sprouted a third head.

"Um… Yeah, I swear, I'm human."

**Thank you for reading! I've been thinking about a story like this for a long time, and yeah, it's probably been done plenty of times before, but why not? Also, I apologize for the horrible OOC-ness. It's really hard to turn a comedy cartoon into a drama, y'know? Well, that won't stop me from trying. I appreciate **_**all**_** reviews, and I will shamelessly beg for them!**

**Continue or Don't Continue?**

**Constructive criticism is welcome, and flames are taken as compliments!**


	2. Chapter 2

Silence.

Pure silence.

"Why am I supposed to believe you?" Finn asked, distrust lacing his voice.

"Why? Why? Well considering you met me about a half hour ago, I can't answer that. Yes or no. You choose, I honestly don't care." the younger girl half-snapped.

"Look, this is kind of big to us…" Jake trailed off.

The girl with the dirty hair glared, her ocean eyes flaring. "Well, it's not like I asked for you two to just bust in while I was eating, and cause me to break one of my _four_ plates. Seriously, it takes me forever to get one of those!"

"Look, we're sorry about the plate… We'll get you a new one…" Jake tried to apologize.

"How? I found all this stuff in camp wreckage like two years ago," The girl replied, gesturing around the small tree house. "How are you just going to 'get a new one'?"

"There are a bunch of plates at the Tree Fort. We could get you one of those." Finn said.

"Tree Fort?" The greasy-haired girl asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Tree Fort. Where we live." Jake deadpanned.

"…What's it like?" The girl allowed her curiosity to show.

"Well… It's kind of hard to explain. It's built in a gigantic willow tree, for starters. It also has a lot of rooms, and a lookout, and everything. We also have a roommate." Finn explained, looking around the room.

"Wow." The girl was wide-eyed and staring at the two guys.

"We should go get that plate for you. Hey, do you want to come with?" Jake asked nonchalantly.

The small tree house was again silent for a moment. "…Really?" The girl whispered, hopeful. After all, she hadn't ever heard of anything like it.

"Yeah. Sure. Why not?" Jake replied.

"On one condition." Finn interjected before the girl could say anything.

"Okay… What?"

"You have to tell us your name." Finn said.

The girl sighed, knowing she had been beaten. "Kameryn. And that's K-A-M-E-R-Y-N. But don't ever call me that, or I'll slap you into next week. I shorten it to Kami. I took an oddly normal name and turned it into a normally odd name. Got that?" The girl – excuse me – Kami affirmed.

Finn and Jake nodded.

"So where's this 'Tree Fort' you guys were talking about?" Kami demanded.

"Follow us."

*K*

Kami was wide eyed as they neared the huge structure. At least three different branches, with long flowing leaves made up the Tree Fort. It was detailed, and magnificent. It was more beautiful than anything she had ever seen in her life. She couldn't keep from gawking.

It was where they lived every day.

"Not too far now. See it?" Jake said, gesturing to the Tree Fort.

Kami nodded mutely.

As they approached, Kami's hands had begun to shake slightly. All of the new things that were going on at once were slightly – okay, hugely – overwhelming. After all, she'd been living in a crappy tree house alone for four years, with only the squirrels to talk to. Well, to talk to before she tried to snare them. Hey, it's not like there were many 5-star restaurants in the wilderness.

They walked through the front door to the Fort, Finn grinning.

"Okay, so the kitchen's this way. I think BMO's at soccer practice, so you can't meet him right now." Finn chattered, leading them to another room.

Kami nodded and mumbled "Mhmm."

"Okay, so what type of plate do you want? We have a few different ones here…" Jake trailed off, as he stretched to reach the cabinet. He shuffled around a pit and moved aside the dishes.

"I guess… plain? I just need something to keep the food off the floor." said Kami, shrugging.

"Speaking of that, Kami, would you like anything to eat? Hey, Jake, do you think we've got bacon to make a BLT?" Finn offered.

Kami had only tried bacon once, before… everything, really. She remembered it being tender, yet juicy and crunchy and flavorful all in one. A symphony of tastes all rolled into one. She could do nothing but nod and try to keep from gaping. Though, there was nothing to disguise the hungry look that filled her eyes.

After a few minutes, Jake set a plate with the heavenly sandwich in front of her. It was still sizzling.

Kami murmured a quick 'thank you' before reaching out to the plate. She then hesitated, as if waiting for it to be taken away, and to be laughed at in her face because it was all a sick joke. One second passed… Then four seconds. Kami finally closed the distance between the sandwich and herself.

The greasy-haired girl momentarily blacked out for a split second, because all her senses were being invaded at the same time. The BLT was indescribable.

Meanwhile, Finn and Jake silently watched the girl eat. Yeah, this action could be classified as "creepy" but Kami didn't seem to mind. But the thing that Finn was thinking of, and probably also Jake, was, _'She looks at food as if she'll never see it again.'_

Then, they realized it.

It was probably true.

Seriously, who couldn't put two and two together? She lives in the middle of the forest in an old run-down tree house away from any signs of intelligent life. And she's also skinny. They then realized just _how_ skinny she really was. The red shirt did a good job of hiding it, but in reality, she wasn't doing so great.

One thing about her that the two really admired her for was her attitude. She was strong, you had to admit.

But really, how strong can an eleven-year-old girl be?

Sure, Finn was only a bit older than that, but he had Jake. She didn't have anyone.

So the question wasn't which plate she wanted.

It was… What should they do?

*K*

**Thank you for reading. It means a lot to me, and thanks for the reviews! A question I wanted to ask, do you guys hate Kami's name? If you do, review or PM me about it. It's honestly not that hard to replace one chapter with name changes. If I get like 4 or 5 chapters in and there's that **_**one person**_** who whines "OMG I liek totes h8 teh name!" then yeah… there's gonna be a problem. Thanks again for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Finn was so deep in thought that he didn't notice that Kami had stood up and tucked the still bacon-greased plate under her arm. The little girl wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Thanks for the sandwich. And for the plate. Most people wouldn't do that, which was nice of you."

Jake smiled and said it was no problem, and Finn repeated him, though half-heartily, still thinking.

The greasy-haired girl crossed the kitchen to the front door, pausing for a moment before turning her head.

"Well, I'm going back home. Bye, Finn and Jake." Kami half-smiled and walked out, her untidy hair taking a few seconds longer to follow her, but thankfully not getting caught. Finn somehow noticed this, because everything slows down when you realize you're losing a chance.

*K*

Kami trotted away from the Grasslands and into the woods, the place that she calls home. She smiled widely, before inhaling deeply, relishing the feeling of _this is where I belong._

Her surroundings got slightly darker the deeper she traveled into the forest, the sun being masked by a canopy of leaves, as well as the approaching nightfall. This didn't really faze Kami though, for she could've been blindfolded and she would've _still _made it back to the tree house unscathed.

After a few minutes of taking specific shortcuts with a slow jog, the greasy-haired girl found her home. She traced a fingertip over a carved space on the tree, marked with the word _Alala. _She sighed, as a feeling of grief tried to take hold of her.

Kami climbed up the nailed-in boards and into her tree house. She dunked the plate in the bucket of water that was placed by the back wall. She had gotten the bucket from the well at the edge of the forest, and yes, it may have been considered "Stealing" legally, but Kami was no thief. That well hadn't been used in years.

The girl crawled into the pillows in the corner of the room, sighing. She stretched before shutting her ocean eyes. She would soon wish she hadn't, for that night; she had the worst nightmare yet.

_Screaming. All I hear is screaming. Shrill cries that fade to nothingness or end abruptly. Loud yowls, garbled shouts, meek whimpers invade my ears. I open my eyes, but wish I hadn't. I see fires, wreckage, and flashes of light. The flashes of light confuse me. I begin to cry._

"_Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry sweet baby dear." A voice above me coos. I love that voice. It's quiet, gentle, and familiar. My mother's voice._

_I feel the sensation of movement. Well, actually, the sensation of being carried._

"_These darned things just won't let up!" I hear a man call to my left. His voice fades to screaming._

_I hear a door slam._

"_What's going on?!" it's the familiar voice._

"_Madam, calm do-" a rough voice responds._

"_Don't you dare tell me to calm the heck down! I'm trying to keep my 6-month-old daughter safe, mind you! Now tell me what the HECK THOSE THINGS WERE!" My mother shrieks._

"_They… They're called Rainicorns." The scratchy voice of an old man shakes._

"_Rainicorns?"_

"_Yes, Rainicorns. We don't know exactly why they're here. But in a way, we kind of do… People have been eaten, Madam." The old man's voice answers solemnly._

"…_E-Eaten?" I can hear the pure fear in my mother's voice._

_I assume the old man nods, because my mother starts shaking. Eaten?_

"_We have to get out of here. Walled up in an unprotected barn won't do us any good. I have to keep Kameryn safe." My mother said assertively._

"_Ma'am… I know a way. I've been thinking about it for a while, but…" The old man says, unsure._

"_But what, Steven?!"_

"_Madam… There's a pack of a half person, half wolf race deep in the forest. They are called Alala. You could escape, Ma'am. I could hold off the Rainicorns for a few minutes. The Alalas would take care of Kameryn well. She would be treated as one of their own. The thing about the Alala pack though is…. Well…" The man informs._

"_Spit it out, we don't have much time! Please!" My mother begs, frantically worried._

"_Madam… The Alalas are tolerant of taking in a child, but in order to do so, they need a sacrifice. A… A sacrifice of life, Madam. In order to save Kameryn's life you must give your own." The old man says solemnly._

"_Okay." My mother bravely states._

"_But… Steven, what would happen to you?"_

"_Oh, don't mind me, Madam. I'll be with Frida. She'll be waiting for me." I can hear the smile in his voice._

"_So… When do we leave?"_

Kami woke up screaming, screaming and sobbing and trashing and who knows what else. It all made sense! It all made sense now! She still had so many questions though. But worst of all, she didn't even know if this was an actually dream… or a memory.

She remembered the Alalas, of course she did, she lived with them until she was eight. But they never told her any of this! Any of it at all!

This was so overwhelming that Kami's fit only increased, until she smashed a pillow against her face, muffling her screams and cries.

Kami calmed down after a bit, and sunk down back on the pile of pillows. She had been worn out by crying, but was thinking about far too many things to fall asleep.

The thing that bothered her most though was… what did it all mean?

**Thank you for reading up to this point! Remember, I'm always open to suggestions, so if you see anything that needs to be changed don't forget to tell me!**


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